After finding some new directions that claimed to be shorter we hit the road a little after 7:00. I got a couple breakfast sandwiches from On The Run to eat on the road, which both kind of sucked, and we got some Dunkin for Jaime along the way. The directions were right and it only took three hours to get to Gorham which is great news because we’ll definitely be doing this again.
Oddly the pond was no more full than it was last time, leading me to believe it might be spring fed, plus the fact that I haven’t been able to find a stream that feeds it. The Presidential Range wasn’t yet covered by the clouds rolling in so we could clearly make out the snow that still coats the higher elevations even in mid-May. I climbed up the ridiculously steep rockslide of mine tailings left behind from the 1800s when the mine was still in operation. Unfortunately it is closed off by a metal gate because bats hibernate there but the view is amazing and the air that flows from the tunnel feels like an air conditioner, nice when you’re sweating like crazy. I went up to the next ledge this time in hopes of finding more entrances which I’ve read exist, also sealed up, but I’d still love to see them. No luck this time.
We attempted a shortcut on the way back that would have cut out another steep scramble, this one on loose dirt. But the trail took us all over creation in the wrong direction as it started to rain harder. Neither of us minded though so we just turned around and went back the way we’d come, making it back to the car before we go too wet.
We were the only people at Mountain Fire Pizza and ate the whole thing. Our favorite is the Maple and Bacon which I highly recommend, best pizza ever. Our table had a view out to some rock ledges on a hill in the general vicinity of Mascot Pond. After consulting the maps it is actually called Mascot Pond Spur and I plan on bushwhacking my way out onto the ledges next time, as well as a herd path that leads to the top of Mascot Ledges without any rock climbing involved.
It started to really pour as we left Gorham and was becoming apparent today would be a washout. Not allowing that to stop us we headed for Crawford Notch to check out the Silver and Flume Cascades along the road which were quite impressive. I also decided I would check out the railroad tracks beside the road that travel through a blasted out ravine in the cliff. There was a photo of it at Mountain Fire labeling it “Great Cut, Gate Of Crawford Notch” and since I’ve wanted to explore it since I was a kid I figured this rainy day would be perfect. I got a little wet but it was awesome, I even got some yellow stones from a recent rockslide beside the tracks.
In the near distance I could hear rushing water, the Willey Brook I was looking for. So despite the pouring rain I made my way through a couple of old dried out streambeds, eventually reaching the brook. Through the trees I could see the train trestle not much further up the mountainside. There were no significant waterfalls, just small cascades flanked on one side by a steep forest wall that had recently suffered from some erosion. Unfortunately it was too slippery on the wet rocks to safely follow the brook up the ravine but my trip served its purpose which was just to scout out the area. Plus I finally figured out why those random parking spots were there, something I’ve wondered for as long as I can remember. I can’t wait to really explore the area.
We hurried over to Lincoln hoping to get there before Chutters closed because we had our hearts set on fudge but we of course arrived 15 minutes late. So I went to GH Pizza to get a souvlaki which is basically a gyro but with chicken instead of lamb. While waiting for that I got a bowl of cotton candy ice cream next door, something I always get cravings for since the first time I had it there a couple years ago. Then we went to Black Mountain Burger for Jaime’s supper but the power was out in that plaza. So we hung around town for a little, checking out spots for future hikes, I went to the Price Chopper grocery store to get some of their pre-made pasta dishes which I love. All they had today was stuffed shells so I got that and this delicious apple/walnut/caramel pie that my dad and I got last year. By then the power was back at Black Mountain but they’d already given up and left early for the night. So in anger we’ve boycotted them, until next week when we decided we’ll probably go again.
Despite the rain we took the Kancamagus Highway over the mountain pass, cutting off an hour or so of travel. I’ve driven it so many times its not really scary anymore, even in the rain. We stopped at Sabaday Falls and I ran up the short trail to the falls. I once had some good pictures of it during high water but lost them when the external drive they were on died about five years ago. So I finally got to see it again when its raging and got some amazing pictures to replace my old ones.
The ride home was treacherous. The rain got worse and our wipers both started to go so they weren’t doing the best job cleaning off the windshield. Add to that the fact that most of the way home was under some sort of construction so there were no lines on the road and it made for extremely slow and difficult travel. But we made it back home safely where I rechecked the weather report for the day I had looked at just that morning, yep, 0% chance of rain. Jaime fell right asleep and I enjoyed my souvlaki and baklava dessert, both of which were incredible. And in spite of the bad luck we had on Friday the 13th, we had an amazing day.
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